419 scam: "Benjamin Marcus"<wb@zfjt.top> CONGRATULATIONS YOUR E-MAIL WON $750 000 CONTACT US:

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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

The so-called "419" scam is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Keep in mind that scammers DO NOT use their real names when defrauding people.
The criminals either abuse names of real people or companies or invent names or addresses.
Any real people or companies mentioned below have NO CONNECTION to the scammers!

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

Click here to report a problem with this page.

Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

This email uses a separate reply address that is different from the sender address. Spammers use this to get replies even when the original spam sending accounts have been shut down. Also, sometimes the sender addresses are legitimate looking but fake and only the reply address is actually an email account controlled by the scammers.
The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
- "claim agent" (real lotteries do not use a "claim agent" / "fiduciary agent")
This email message is a fake lottery scam. Consider the following facts about real lotteries:
1. They don't notify winners by email.
2. You can't win without first buying a lottery ticket.
3. They don't randomly select email addresses to award prizes to.
4. They don't use free email accounts (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to communicate with you.
5. They don't tell you to call a mobile phone number.
6. They don't tell you to keep your winnings secret.
7. They will never ask a winner to pay any fees to receive a prize!

Fraud email example:

From: "Benjamin Marcus" (may be fake)
Reply-To: <benjamin1962.marcus@hotmail,com>
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 19:22:56 +1000
Subject: CONGRATULATIONS YOUR E-MAIL WON $750 000 CONTACT US:

CONGRATULATIONS
Your email was received and it is well noted. Also, I know you are trying to get a clear picture about this winnings. Hence, for your information, your winnings of US$750,000.00 (Seven hundred and fifty thousand, United States Dollars) was drawn from a random lottery ballot system and your email was drawn on the first second and final draw and you emerged the final winner in the category.
Your winnings were first deposited into an escrow account and a certified bankers cashier check was drawn to be delivered to you.
We wish to congratulate you on the award winning amount of US$750,000.00 (Seven hundred and fifty thousand, United States Dollars) in the POWER BALL LOTTERY.
You are required send your details for confirmation, and upon verification of you been the true winner, your winnings will be arranged to be delivered to you.
Batch numbers: 4 33 39 46 60 9, Serial number 0915/4X, Reference numbers: 28 32 33 38 62 .
First Name.
Last Name :
Gender.:
Occupation.:
Address 1.:
Country .:
City.:
Mobile phone No.:
Batch Number.:
Serial Number .:
Reference Number.:
Regards,
David Owen,
Claim Agent
Power Ball Lottery

..............................................

Anti-fraud resources:

What can you do when you receive 419 spam